Too Many Preachers are not Relying on God!

“But hath in due timesmanifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;” –Titus 1:3

Preaching: God’s Chosen Method to Show His Word to Mankind

In this passage of Scripture, we see that Paul is writing to Titus, his own son in the faith, concerning preaching and the local church in Crete. In this verse, Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said that “But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching…” Basically, Paul is saying that God has chosen the appropriate time to manifest (show) His Word (which is this generation). God has also chosen a method in which His Word is to be revealed: through the preaching of the Cross. You might be asking: why would God choose to use mankind to bring forth His Word? The answer is found in 1 Corinthians 1:

“For Christ SENT ME not to baptize, but to PREACH THE GOSPEL: not with WISDOM OF WORDS, lest the CROSS OF CHRIST should be made of NONE EFFECT.

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” –1 Corinthians 1:17-18, 21 (KJV)

God has specifically chosen preaching to be the method by which God’s Word is shown to all men albeit it must be understood that this preaching must be done in the Spirit of God, and not with the wisdom of words (worldly wisdom). When we preach with the wisdom of words, we recognize from the Bible, that we bring shame and reproach to the Cross of Christ and we make the cross of Christ of none effect (no good), because we are using our own wisdom to preach a Book that is spiritually discerned and spiritually understood.

The Holy Spirit Office of Preaching Must Be Fulfilled in the Power of God

Unfortunately, many preachers are still relying on worldly wisdom to preach this supernaturally inspired, supernaturally preserved, and supernaturally understood Book–The Bible. The Holy Spirit office of preaching cannot be fulfilled in the flesh; it must be fulfilled by the Holy Spirit of God, and through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. When worldly wisdom is intertwined with the Word of God, the Cross of Christ is made of none effect. The Book of James tells us why:

Comparing Scripture-with-Scripture, we can clearly see that when Paul mentions “wisdom of words” in 1 Corinthians, he is talking about the worldly, earthly, sensual, devilish wisdom that does not come from above, but rather comes from this world.

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As a result, this culture has become devoid of Spirit-filled, Holy Ghost inspired, Spirit-led preaching. May WEbe the ones that bring revival to this nation, and may WEbe the ones that will PREACH THE GOSPEL to this lost and dying world.

Many preachers today think they have been called of God to preach, but in fact, many of them are not. We can easily see from the fruits of these men, that these men were not called to preach, but rather saw the ministry as an opportunity to gain filthy lucre (greed). The Bible openly condemns this in Romans 10.

“And HOW shall they PREACH, except they be SENT? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach THE GOSPEL…” –Romans 10:15a (KJV)

Many preachers in this day and age have not been sent. In Romans 10:15, the Apostle Paul clearly states that “and HOW shall they preach, except they be sent.” One cannot preach the Word of God if he has not been sent (called) of God to preach. Furthermore, when a preacher preaches, he doesn’t preach his own doctrine, he PREACHES THE GOSPEL!! I can name several so-called “preachers” who do not preach the gospel, but rather their own version of the Gospel. This includes people like Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Robert Tilton, and many others. Unfortunately, millions of people have been led astray by these false prophets; these people are not saved to this day because of the FALSE GOSPEL that many preachers are preaching today (hint: the prosperity gospel).

THE PREACHER THAT DOES NOT PREACH THE GOSPEL IS NOT A PREACHER!!

Many Preachers are Afraid to Preach Because of Opposition

Many preachers desire to preach the Gospel, and have been called of God to preach the Gospel, but they do not preach the Gospel, not because they are desiring to be false teachers, but because they are afraid of the opposition they might face from preaching the Gospel.

One such example is hell fire. Many preachers have simply neglected to preach on hell fire. While some will preach on hell, they may or may not teach that there is real fire in Hell. Even some Fundamentalist (or should I say, former Fundamentalist) preachers such as Billy Graham, do not believe and/or do not preach that there is real fire in Hell.

While I’m on the subject: let’s go ahead and get this straight:

The Bible clearly states that there ISreal fire in Hell, and that all who go to hell will BURNin unquenchable flame FOREVER. ( See 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)

The Bible also states that those who are in hell will be CONSCIOUSand ALERT. They will be able to feel the fire around them and they will be able to hear the screams of those that are in Hell. (See Mark 9:44-48 and Matthew 25:30, 41)

Many preachers believe that if they preach that there is real fire in Hell, that they would lose half of their congregation. The very thought sickens me. Woe unto me if I ever become so self-centered and so carnal that I do not preach the Gospel because I am afraid that Sunday morning church attendance will fall! What a lame excuse before God!

There will be no excuse when you stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and have to give an account for all the people’s blood that will be on your hands for NOTpreaching the Gospel! Will it have been worth it once you realize that those 100 or 200 people that you were concerned about leaving your Church, are now in Hell, unable to escape from its eternal torments and unquenchable fire? How about we just commit to preach the Gospel NO MATTER WHAT!

“For I am NOT ASHAMED of the GOSPEL of Christ: for it is the POWER OF GOD unto SALVATION…” –Romans 1:16a (KJV)

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” –1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV)

Although many Christians tend to take Romans 1:16 lightly, we fail to realize the magnitude and depth of the words: “I am not ashamed…” We often forget what Jesus did on Calvary’s Cross and we often forget that we have been “bought with a price; BE YE NOT THE SERVANTS OF MEN.” (1 Cor. 7:23b)

The early Church was certainly not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, so why should we be ashamed? Why should we be concerned with pleasing men, we are commanded to not be the servants of men? Why should be concerned with pleasing man, when we are commanded to serve God?

“For do I now PERSUADE MEN, or GOD? or do I seek to PLEASE MEN? for if I yet PLEASED MEN, I SHOULD NOT BE THE SERVANT OF CHRIST.” –Galatians 1:10 (KJV)

“Whether it be GOOD, or whether it be EVIL, we will OBEY the voice of the LORD OUR GOD….that it may be WELL WITH US, when we OBEY the voice of the LORD OUR GOD.” –Jeremiah 42:6a,c (KJV)

“Wherefore we receiving a KINGDOM which CANNOT BE MOVED, let us have GRACE, whereby we may SERVE GOD acceptably with REVERENCE and GODLY FEAR:” –Hebrews 12:28 (KJV)

Based upon these verses, we ought to determine in our hearts that we WILLserve God rather than men and that we will OBEYthe voice of the LORD OUR GOD in spite of whatever opposition we may face.

When Preachers Preach the Gospel, Spiritual Fruit is Produced

“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” –1 Corinthians 1:21 (KJV)

God has appointed preaching as the method by which God’s Word is manifested (shown) to this world. When preachers preach the Gospel of Christ (i.e. the true Gospel), spiritual fruit is produced. Worldly wisdom cannot help a lost person get saved; only true, sound, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led preaching can help a lost person come to Christ. Furthermore, the Bible states in 1 Corinthians 1:21 that it pleases God when faithful men preach, and God uses this preaching to save them that believe. God is pleased when the Gospel is preached and souls get saved as a result.

How wonderful it is to have the privelege of preaching the Gospel! May we never take for granted the call that God has put on our lives to preach and may we never sway from the doctrine whereunto we have attained, but rather may we remain stedfast in our doctrine, that the Word of God may be glorified, the name of Christ magnified, and that the souls of many lost people would be sanctified through the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Richard Parker III is the webmaster and primary author of Valiant for Christ and Led by the Truth, the official blog of Valiant for Christ. Richard is a saved, born-again Christian and King James Bible believer who stands firm on independent, fundamental, Baptist doctrine. Richard started this blog, Led by the Truth, to encourage believers to seek God daily and be led by the truth of God's Word to become the valiant soldiers for Christ that God wants us to be. You can e-mail Richard at info@valiant4christ.worthyofpraise.org.

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Richard Parker III is the webmaster and primary author of Valiant for Christ and Led by the Truth, the official blog of Valiant for Christ. Richard is a saved, born-again Christian and King James Bible believer who stands firm on independent, fundamental, Baptist doctrine. Richard started these blogs and websites to encourage believers to seek God daily and be led by the truth of God's Word to become the valiant soldiers for Christ that God wants us to be. You can e-mail Richard at info@valiant4christ.worthyofpraise.org.